Panang lady! You lookin' fine!

I posted on my facebook page that I would share my coconut curry recipe here, so here it is! This can be used for chicken, beef, pork, fish, tofu and seafood.

• 1 tablespoon Peanut oil ( veggie can be subbed)
• 1 teaspoon curry paste ( thai kitchen is the easiest to find... use the red curry paste)
• 1 1/4 pounds meat - cut into strips
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced ( the zest of 1 lime can be substituted here)
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cleaned and quartered ( to steep in the sauce while cooking the meat.)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1/2 bunch thai basil ( regular basil is fine) torn

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat; heat the curry paste in the oil about 30 seconds. Add the meat and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, lime leaf, carrot, coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice; bring to a boil;lower to a simmer, and slowly cook until meat is cooked through. Sprinkle cilantro and basil over the dish; stir. Serve hot over rice.

*If using fish or shrimp, sear in a separate pan and add to the sauce after all the ingredients are combined. cook lightly until the shrimp is pink and opaque, or the fish is flaky. 

Ever get a hankering for pork?

I know I've been on a bit of a bread trip lately... and will continue to be for some time, but I feel the need to come back to my first love, pork.
There have been many times that I found it suiting to tell people that "Pork is my tummy's boyfriend". I stand by that statement. Wholeheartedly. 100%.
I like the ribs, I like the butt, I like hams and shoulder and belly. I LOVE bacon- and really who doesn't. Even veggie heads say that they miss real bacon. Perhaps it's time for a few of my favorite pork recipes. Braised Shoulder ( we know I love a braise), Pancetta  Wrapped Trout and Bacon Mayo. Yep I said it. Bacon Mayo- and not this crap you buy where they add liquid smoke and call it bacon. I'm talking make your own mayo  using the bacon fat.




Braised Shoulder

• 2 pounds pork shoulder roast-trussed ( tied- ask your meat cutter to do it if you don't know how)
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and small diced
• 2 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pinot noir or any other light bodied red.
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Season pork with the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Sear pork in the hot oil until well browned on all sides.
2. remove pork. 
3. saute onion, celery and carrot; cook until onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. De-glaze with wine, scraping all the fond ( that crunchy browned goodness on the bottom of the pan) up into the sauce. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
4. put the pork back into the pot. 
5. simmer for several hours, either stovetop or in a 325 degree oven. 
6. enjoy once the meat is tender. this is great on a parm polenta or a fresh papredelle.

 

 

Pancetta Wrapped Trout

• 4 whole (12 ounce) trout, cleaned with tails and heads on
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 lb pancetta, sliced ( bacon or prosciutto may be subbed for pancetta)
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove gills from fish and discard. Rinse fish under cold water. 
2. Season the inside of the fish with a pinch of salt
3. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. 
4. In shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper and cayenne. wrap trout in pancetta. Raise heat to high. Dredge fish in flour mixture, fry in hot oil for about 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until meat flakes with a fork. Serve over a green salad, white bean salad, or a potato cake.

 Bacon Mayo

• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1/4 tsp dijon mustard
• l1/4 c warmed bacon fat...not hot fat warm fat. Just warm enough to move it from solid to liquid stage.
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place egg yok in a wide mouthed bowl
2. add dijon and vinegar and whisk like the wind. 
3. slowly SLOWLY!!! dribble in the canola oil, whisking as continuously and strongly as you can ( this will hurt your arm- that's how you know you're doing it right!)
4. once the oil is gone, continue with the warm fat, whisking like all get out. 
5. add salt and pepper to taste 
6.  serve with that leftover trout on a sammie!

Note: if your mayo starts beading and looking curdled, it's "breaking". Fear not!  add 1 /2 tsp of very warm almost hot water to it and whisk harder than you thought you ever could. that should save it.

Ahh, pork. you are magic in any shape.

 

Bread you say? We'll see about that.

I have been elbows deep in dough for the last week, and I think that I can do this bread thing. I just have to remember that I am learning, and that I will not be discouraged by a few flat baguettes.
For the record, the James Beard Baguette recipe turns out more like a yeasty bread stick than a crunchy baguette. Any bakers out there have a suggestion for a better recipe?


please?

Mmmm yeasty part deaux...

Success! I have had a bread victory. It was a little touch and go there for a minute, but the final product was so delicious that the whole loaf was finished by breakfast this morning! Yeah baby- fresh baked bread+ farm fresh eggs ( thank you Clair-baby!)= french toast breakfast party!
Awesome!


So here's the recipe, and I'm telling you- it's easy.

• 1 1/2 pkg or 1 1/2 tbsp dry active yeast ( I prefer Red Star)
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt 
• 3 cups water ( luke warm- about 100 degrees)
• 6 cups all purpose, unsifted flour, measured using the scoop and sweep method

1. put yeast and salt into water, stir until mostly dissolved. 
2. using a wooden spoon, add flour and stir. when it gets too hard to stir, use your hands to pat the flour in. this should be a very wet dough. DO NOT KNEAD!
3. cover with plastic wrap ( loosely) or a non-airtight lid. Let rise for 3-5 hours at room temp. if it is hot, 3 hours, if it is cooler, 5 hours. 
4. at this point you can either cut off a 1 lb chunk, boule it ( pull the sides down until you have a ball)  scour and bake.  You can also put this into the refrigerator over night and portion the next day.
   
   
   
   
   

Baking instructions- this bread can be baked free form or in a loaf pan. if you are free- forming it, I suggest using a bit of cornmeal to discourage sticking to your pan or bread stone.

1. preheat your oven to 450 degrees for at least 20 minutes. 
2. place a sturd pan on the lowest rack during the preheat. ( if using a bread stone, please place it into the oven during preheat.)
3. put loaf into oven, and pour 1 c water into the lower rack pan, creating steam. Shut the oven door quickly to capture steam. this will make a nice shiny crust!
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes. it is done when you thump it and it sounds hollow. 
5. put to cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

oh- that's the tuna melt I made with my new bread. It was a very satisfying tuna melt. I think I will make my own bread from now on. Next?  Baguette! Batard! Broche!
En avant au prochain projet de pain !

Mmmm...yeasty.

Ha! That caught your attention huh?
 For as many years as I have been a rockin' line jockey, I have been a terrible baker. I have found myself becoming domesticated in the last few years (begrudgingly) and have now accepted it with open arms. I have decided that it is time for me to tackle the thing that strikes fear in my little cook's heart...BREAD!

A little back story first:
I went to the Art Institute many moons ago to get my degree in Culinary Arts. It was a wonderful program, and I enjoyed every moment of learning I did there...except for bread time in baking and pastry class. Now I can make a mean custard, a killer pie and even some body jerking amazing brownies. I have even been told that my cheesecake is "so sexy".  Those are all in my mind's cook book and I can pull them out at a moment's notice. But not bread. Bread is my kryptonite. Bread is my Achilles heel. Me and bread? Not great friends. My pastry chef, one Miss Heidi Satterlee, referred to me as "the bread killer" and refused to let me touch unbaked dough, as I somehow made all of the yeast die.
I am not someone who likes to be bad at something. I am taking on my baking phobias as of today. Bread- Here I come.

I am, going to start off with an easy-peasy recipe ( and no this is not a bread machine project, as I don't own a bread machine) and hope that my efforts to not reinforce my shortcomings as a Chef. I will be updating throughout the process today to show the stages and results.

Wish me luck!!!!!!

You want some summer time Cake, Love?

A friend asked me for my lemon spice cake recipe the other day, and it got me thinking- I need to put more recipes up here so you all can try them out. She had great success with this one, and I am also posting the suggested cream cheese bourbon frosting too...

Lemon Cardamom Cake

• 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temp
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• the zest of 2 lemons ( preferably Meyer)- zest the lemons over the milk/egg mix to catch some of the lemon oil.

1. preheat to 350 with rack in middle.
2.grease and four a 9/13 pan
3.whisk all dry ingredients together
4. mix wet ingredients in a second container, including lemon zest, but leaving out the softened butter.
5. gently blend softened butter into dry ingredients until you have pea sized crumb
6. add milk mix in 3 stages careful- don't over mix!
7. pour batter into cake pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean from the center.
8. cool on a rack for 5 minutes, run a knife around the side, turn out onto the rack and cool further before frosting.

Cream Cheese Bourbon Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean pod ( slices 1/2 lengthwise and the pods scrapped out. only use the pods)
• 5 tablespoons bourbon ( teehee) you can flame it if the alcohol concerns you, but I really like the cooling effect it has on the rich frosting.

1.whip softened butter and cream cheese together until well blended
2.add vanilla (bean), bourbon and sugar. blend well.

delicious!